The day started like every other da

The day started like every other day. When Sun Jicheng got out of bed, his clothing was already prepared by Liu Jin’niang, a former Imperial maid responsible for dressing the Emperor, and the sixteen young women she oversaw. [2, 3] In the hall outside his bedroom, he drank some Oolong tea from the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian, and then got into his special carriage and began his inspection tour of the 79 businesses he owned in Jinan city. [4, 5]

He was not the type of person who conformed to the normal patterns of everyday life. For example, he would often stay out drinking with clients all night. And yet, he would never let this interfere with his daily inspection. In fact, the route upon which he traveled would never change.

Starting businesses wasn’t easy, and maintaining them successfully was even harder. Anyone who wanted to achieve such success must pay a price.

Sun Jicheng understood that.

He loved his businesses in much the same way that a beautiful woman loves her good looks.

He would often tell his friends, “Wealth might not make you happy, but it’s a lot better than being poor.”

Sun Jicheng was about six feet tall. Stalwart and dashing, he knew how to enjoy himself, much unlike the other wealthy and powerful merchants who were his peers.

All the years of delicious food and drink had caused his belly to slowly protrude, but thanks to carefully tailored clothing, he looked much younger than his actual age. He could still race horses, drink liquor, and satisfy the most difficult to satisfy woman.

He would never forget to remind others about this, and they would never forget this fact.

Of course, a person like this had no death wish.

So every day when he left home, various experts from famous bodyguard agencies would accompany him. One of them was Qiu Budao, also called “As Stable as Mount Tai,” who in past years had successfully accomplished 91 bodyguard missions with no losses.

Sun Jicheng’s carriage was specially manufactured, impervious to blades and arrows. The horses came from the stables of the “General Who Attacks the West,” every one exceedingly fine, with unmatchable stamina and speed, capable of running over 400 miles in one day without stopping. [6, 7]

His enormous mansion was similarly protected. Day and night, multiple shifts of guards watched over everything, each one a top-notch expert.

To send someone like Sun Jicheng to the grave could not be considered a simple matter.

No one would try to do such a thing. No one would dare take the risk.

Who could ever imagine that he would die!

Part 2

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Sun Jicheng would usually eat lunch at at the Great Three Yuan restaurant.

Perhaps because he worried about his growing belly, or because of constant drinking, he would usually eat or drink nothing else during the day other than his Oolong tea. So of course he was very picky about his lunch.

There were many reasons why he chose to eat at Great Three Yuan.

It was one of the 79 businesses he owned.

Its head chef was a celebrity, specially hired from South China [8]. His “Marinated Shark’s Fin” and “Grilled Shark’s Fin” both were secret family recipes, handed down through the generations, and as luck would have it, Sun Jicheng’s favorite dish was Shark’s Fin.

The manager of Great Three Yuan, Zheng Nanyuan, was not only picky about food, but when it came to wit and conversational ability, he was just the type of person Sun Jicheng liked.

The most important thing was that Great Three Yuan was a very successful business with many customers. Sun Jicheng liked to look at people, and he liked people to look at him.

***

Today was a day like any other. Big Boss Sun ate lunch at Great Three Yuan, drank a little alcohol.

Usually he would drink Chu Ye Ching, Maotai, Daqu, Nu’er Hong, Mei Kuei Lu, and sometimes even Barley wine or Gucheng liquor shipped from distant regions. [9]

Today, he drank something even more difficult to acquire: Persian Red Wine.

Great Three Yuan was the last stop on his inspection tour. Upon finishing his meal, he would go home. He would return to his room, which others rarely visited, take a nap, then once again resume his unique living routine.

— Being rich really was much more enjoyable than being poor.

***

Sun Jicheng was richer than almost anyone in the world, and happier too.

No one had any way to kill him, nor any reason to.

How could he possibly die?

Part 3

Sun Jicheng truly understood how to enjoy himself, and wanted everything to be very exquisite, including his clothing, his food, his residence and his business.

So of course, his bedroom was comfortable and resplendent.

Anyone with a brain could imagine that, but few could imagine what exactly his room was like. This was because few people had ever entered his room.

His room was a place for rest and sleep.

When it came time for rest and sleep, he never wanted women. And when it came time for women, he never wanted rest and sleep.

— A “wife” and a “woman” are different.

A “wife” is not merely a “woman,” but someone with whom to share trials and tribulation, bitterness and sweetness, a support, a comfort, a partner, and a friend during times of loneliness, pain, disappointment and old age.

Sun Jicheng had no wife, and neither did he have friends.

Strictly speaking, the friends he had were not truly his friends.

— It is lonely at the top; if a person manages to reach the pinnacle of something, that person will often find themselves quite lonely.

***

As usual, it was about dusk when Sun Jicheng returned to that room so rarely seen by anyone else, but if seen, became the source of amazement, praise and envy.

Usually, when he returned, he would take a short nap. But this time, he made an exception. From a secret compartment located next to his bed he pulled out a necklace crafted from Persian platinum, embedded with emeralds.

Outside the bedroom was a resplendent reception hall. On the walls hung paintings by Wu Daozi and calligraphy by Wang Xizhi [10, 11], and placed on a shelf was a vase carved from pure white jade. Facing the door was a reception armchair said to have been used by the emperor himself in the Imperial palace.

As soon as he sat down, a musical clinking could be heard coming from outside. The person he was waiting to see had arrived.

It was Liu Jin’niang.

Liu Jiniang was a beautiful, gentle, mature and paid close attention to detail. Her skills in tailoring were unparalleled. She’d entered the Imperial Palace at the age of 11 and returned to at the age of 21 to manage Sun Jicheng’s clothing, footgear and headgear. No one in the world was more familiar with his physique and body structure.

That of course is a requirement for anyone tasked with creating a comfortable set of clothing.

To truly, completely understand the body of a man is not easy, and she had used the most direct and effective method.

She was a beautiful woman, healthy and strong. The spring wind that night had blown oh so gently.

But from that night on, she never brought up the incident ever again. It seemed he, too, had forgotten. The two of them maintained a very professional working relationship.

Long ago in the deep recesses of the Imperial palace, she had learned to live in loneliness.

**

The setting sun shone in through the window. Sun Jicheng looked at her cold, beautiful face, and let out a soft sigh.

“It’s been ten years,” he said with a sigh. “It’s ten years, correct?”

“Just about.”

Liu Jin’niang’s face appeared completely cold and emotionless. A woman of her upbringing would surely never allow emotions to show.

And yet, she felt a stab of pain in her heart. She knew exactly how many days had passed since that spring night. She would forever remember, completely clearly. It was ten years, one month and three days.

“Have you been happy throughout these years?”

“I would say neither happy nor unhappy,” she said coolly. “Now that I think about it, the ten years seem to have passed in the blink of an eye.”

So many frigid winter nights spent alone, so many lonely spring evenings, could they really pass in the blink of an eye?

Sun Jicheng sighed again, then suddenly stood up and walked over to her.

“I know I’ve let you down,” he said. He lifted up the necklace. “This is a little something from me. Would you allow me to put it on you?”

Liu Jin’niang nodded her head silently. And yet, as soon as Sun Jicheng reached her and placed the necklace around her neck, she suddenly wanted to weep.

Could it be that after ten years of indifference, he had suddenly recalled that one night of passion and tenderness?

Just as the tears began to pour down her face, he suddenly tightened his grip, using the beautiful necklace to send her to her death.

She did not die in suffering, because she truly did not believe that he would treat her with such vicious treachery.

No one could possibly figure out why he killed her, because, truthfully, he had no reason to.

***

The beautiful necklace hung from the beautiful neck. And yet, the beauty had long since passed.

The setting sun slowly began to fade, replaced gradually by evening gloom.

Sun Jicheng, steady and cool-headed as usual, slowly pushed open the rear window and vanished into the night like a wisp of smoke, disappearing into the darkness in the twinkling of an eye.

Part 4

The dark of evening approached. Qiu Budao still lay on his bed. Last night, he had been on duty for the graveyard shift and hadn’t been able to go to sleep until morning. When on duty, he gave it his all, just as he did when working bodyguard missions. Even though he knew nothing untoward would happen, he still refused to display the slightest negligence or complacency.

It had taken much blood and sweat to earn the moniker “As Stable as Mount Tai,” but it would take only one moment of negligence to lose it.

After experiencing countless risks to life and limb, he truly had achieved the “sta

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Hari dimulai seperti setiap hari. Ketika Sun Jicheng mendapat dari tempat tidur, pakaian-Nya sudah disiapkan oleh Liu Jin'niang, mantan Kekaisaran pembantu bertanggung jawab untuk berpakaian Kaisar, dan enam belas perempuan muda ia mengawasi. [2, 3] Di aula di luar kamar tidurnya, ia minum teh Oolong beberapa dari pegunungan Wuyi di Fujian, dan kemudian masuk ke pembawaan khusus dan mulai tur inspeksi bisnis 79 dia di kota Jinan. [4, 5]Dia bukanlah jenis orang yang serupa dengan pola normal kehidupan sehari-hari. Sebagai contoh, ia akan sering tinggal keluar minum-minum dengan klien sepanjang malam. Dan Namun, ia tidak pernah membiarkan ini mengganggu inspeksi nya sehari-hari. Pada kenyataannya, rute yang ia bepergian akan pernah berubah.Memulai bisnis tidak mudah, dan menjaga mereka berhasil adalah bahkan lebih keras. Siapa saja yang ingin mencapai sukses seperti harus membayar harga.Sun Jicheng mengerti itu.Dia mencintai usahanya dalam banyak cara yang sama bahwa seorang wanita cantik mencintai dia terlihat baik.Dia sering akan memberitahu teman-temannya, "kekayaan tidak mungkin membuat Anda bahagia, tapi jauh lebih baik daripada menjadi miskin."Sun Jicheng adalah sekitar enam kaki tingginya. Pendukung dan berlari, dia tahu bagaimana menikmati dirinya sendiri, banyak tidak seperti kaya dan berkuasa pedagang lain yang temannya.Sepanjang tahun makanan lezat dan minuman telah menyebabkan perut untuk perlahan-lahan menonjol, tetapi berkat dengan hati-hati disesuaikan pakaian, dia tampak jauh lebih muda dari usia sebenarnya. Dia bisa masih ras kuda, minum minuman keras, dan memuaskan yang paling sulit untuk memenuhi wanita.Dia tidak akan pernah melupakan untuk mengingatkan orang lain tentang hal ini, dan mereka tidak akan pernah melupakan fakta ini.Tentu saja, orang seperti ini telah tidak berniat kematian.Jadi setiap hari ketika ia meninggalkan rumah, berbagai ahli dari pengawal terkenal agen akan menemaninya. Salah satunya adalah Qiu Budao, juga disebut "Sebagai stabil sebagai gunung Tai," yang dalam beberapa tahun terakhir telah berhasil dicapai misi pengawal 91 dengan tidak ada kerugian.Sun Jicheng kereta adalah khusus diproduksi, tahan terhadap pisau dan panah. Kuda-kuda datang dari stables "umum yang serangan Barat," setiap orang sangat halus, dengan tandingannya stamina dan kecepatan, mampu menjalankan lebih dari 400 mil dalam satu hari tanpa henti. [6, 7]Rumah besar demikian pula dilindungi. Siang dan malam, beberapa pergeseran penjaga mengawasi atas segala sesuatu, masing-masing ahli terkemuka.Untuk mengirim seseorang seperti Sun Jicheng ke kuburan tidak dapat dipertimbangkan masalah sederhana.Tidak ada yang akan mencoba untuk melakukan hal itu. Tidak ada seorang pun akan berani mengambil risiko.Yang pernah bisa bayangkan bahwa dia akan mati!Bagian 2Cegah keadaan yang tidak terduga, Sun Jicheng biasanya akan makan siang di di tiga besar Yuan restaurant.Mungkin karena ia khawatir perutnya tumbuh, atau karena konstan minum, ia biasanya makan atau minum apa-apa lagi selama hari selain teh Oolong nya. Jadi tentu saja dia adalah sangat pilih-pilih tentang makan siang.Ada banyak alasan mengapa ia memilih untuk makan di tiga besar Yuan.It was one of the 79 businesses he owned.Its head chef was a celebrity, specially hired from South China [8]. His “Marinated Shark’s Fin” and “Grilled Shark’s Fin” both were secret family recipes, handed down through the generations, and as luck would have it, Sun Jicheng’s favorite dish was Shark’s Fin.The manager of Great Three Yuan, Zheng Nanyuan, was not only picky about food, but when it came to wit and conversational ability, he was just the type of person Sun Jicheng liked.The most important thing was that Great Three Yuan was a very successful business with many customers. Sun Jicheng liked to look at people, and he liked people to look at him.***Today was a day like any other. Big Boss Sun ate lunch at Great Three Yuan, drank a little alcohol.Usually he would drink Chu Ye Ching, Maotai, Daqu, Nu’er Hong, Mei Kuei Lu, and sometimes even Barley wine or Gucheng liquor shipped from distant regions. [9]Today, he drank something even more difficult to acquire: Persian Red Wine.Great Three Yuan was the last stop on his inspection tour. Upon finishing his meal, he would go home. He would return to his room, which others rarely visited, take a nap, then once again resume his unique living routine.— Being rich really was much more enjoyable than being poor.***Sun Jicheng was richer than almost anyone in the world, and happier too.No one had any way to kill him, nor any reason to.How could he possibly die?Part 3Sun Jicheng truly understood how to enjoy himself, and wanted everything to be very exquisite, including his clothing, his food, his residence and his business.So of course, his bedroom was comfortable and resplendent.Anyone with a brain could imagine that, but few could imagine what exactly his room was like. This was because few people had ever entered his room.His room was a place for rest and sleep.When it came time for rest and sleep, he never wanted women. And when it came time for women, he never wanted rest and sleep.— A “wife” and a “woman” are different.A “wife” is not merely a “woman,” but someone with whom to share trials and tribulation, bitterness and sweetness, a support, a comfort, a partner, and a friend during times of loneliness, pain, disappointment and old age.Sun Jicheng had no wife, and neither did he have friends.Strictly speaking, the friends he had were not truly his friends.— It is lonely at the top; if a person manages to reach the pinnacle of something, that person will often find themselves quite lonely.***As usual, it was about dusk when Sun Jicheng returned to that room so rarely seen by anyone else, but if seen, became the source of amazement, praise and envy.Usually, when he returned, he would take a short nap. But this time, he made an exception. From a secret compartment located next to his bed he pulled out a necklace crafted from Persian platinum, embedded with emeralds.Outside the bedroom was a resplendent reception hall. On the walls hung paintings by Wu Daozi and calligraphy by Wang Xizhi [10, 11], and placed on a shelf was a vase carved from pure white jade. Facing the door was a reception armchair said to have been used by the emperor himself in the Imperial palace.As soon as he sat down, a musical clinking could be heard coming from outside. The person he was waiting to see had arrived.It was Liu Jin’niang.Liu Jiniang was a beautiful, gentle, mature and paid close attention to detail. Her skills in tailoring were unparalleled. She’d entered the Imperial Palace at the age of 11 and returned to at the age of 21 to manage Sun Jicheng’s clothing, footgear and headgear. No one in the world was more familiar with his physique and body structure.That of course is a requirement for anyone tasked with creating a comfortable set of clothing.To truly, completely understand the body of a man is not easy, and she had used the most direct and effective method.She was a beautiful woman, healthy and strong. The spring wind that night had blown oh so gently.But from that night on, she never brought up the incident ever again. It seemed he, too, had forgotten. The two of them maintained a very professional working relationship.Long ago in the deep recesses of the Imperial palace, she had learned to live in loneliness.**The setting sun shone in through the window. Sun Jicheng looked at her cold, beautiful face, and let out a soft sigh.“It’s been ten years,” he said with a sigh. “It’s ten years, correct?”“Just about.”Liu Jin’niang’s face appeared completely cold and emotionless. A woman of her upbringing would surely never allow emotions to show.And yet, she felt a stab of pain in her heart. She knew exactly how many days had passed since that spring night. She would forever remember, completely clearly. It was ten years, one month and three days.“Have you been happy throughout these years?”“I would say neither happy nor unhappy,” she said coolly. “Now that I think about it, the ten years seem to have passed in the blink of an eye.”So many frigid winter nights spent alone, so many lonely spring evenings, could they really pass in the blink of an eye?Sun Jicheng sighed again, then suddenly stood up and walked over to her.“I know I’ve let you down,” he said. He lifted up the necklace. “This is a little something from me. Would you allow me to put it on you?”Liu Jin’niang nodded her head silently. And yet, as soon as Sun Jicheng reached her and placed the necklace around her neck, she suddenly wanted to weep.Could it be that after ten years of indifference, he had suddenly recalled that one night of passion and tenderness?Just as the tears began to pour down her face, he suddenly tightened his grip, using the beautiful necklace to send her to her death.She did not die in suffering, because she truly did not believe that he would treat her with such vicious treachery.No one could possibly figure out why he killed her, because, truthfully, he had no reason to.***The beautiful necklace hung from the beautiful neck. And yet, the beauty had long since passed.The setting sun slowly began to fade, replaced gradually by evening gloom.Sun Jicheng, steady and cool-headed as usual, slowly pushed open the rear window and vanished into the night like a wisp of smoke, disappearing into the darkness in the twinkling of an eye.Part 4The dark of evening approached. Qiu Budao still lay on his bed. Last night, he had been on duty for the graveyard shift and hadn’t been able to go to sleep until morning. When on duty, he gave it his all, just as he did when working bodyguard missions. Even though he knew nothing untoward would happen, he still refused to display the slightest negligence or complacency.It had taken much blood and sweat to earn the moniker “As Stable as Mount Tai,” but it would take only one moment of negligence to lose it.After experiencing countless risks to life and limb, he truly had achieved the “sta